The leela of bandhani

The new Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie might have given most a headache and made you want to tear your hair apart but the only saving grace, apart from beautiful Deepika, were the exquisitely Indian outfits. The kediya worn by Ranveer on jeans and the ghagra-choli by Deepika have all been painstakingly recreated by rejuvenating rare and old forms of Kutch embroidery. The designer, Anju Modi, did some very good research on the clothes in Kutch to create these gorgeous ethic outfits.

But in the midst of all this cacophony is Abdul Jabbar Khatri, a bandhani artist from Bhuj. He is a commerce graduate and took to his family tradition after a gap of five generations. At a time when most were leaving this rich art for urban, easier and better paid jobs, Khatri returned back and he is now a man on a mission – to modernize bandhni.  This was quite an unusual step for a young educated man when most of his peers were leaving the traditional crafts to work in mainstream jobs and careers.

Jabbar developed a conviction that his family's traditional craft could be adapted for the contempoary market. After study and experiment with new designs, different colors, and dyeing techniques, Jabbar has developed his unique bandhini creations. He was awarded the prestigious UNESCO Seal of Excellence both in 2006 and 2007. His enterprise today generates income for more than 300 women in the villages of Kutch. Now this is truly fashion with a cause.